1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for generating printable representations for time-based media.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventional printers are currently used to generate documents of various different formats and based upon different types of content. However, while conventional printers can produce images of text and/or pictures, conventional printers are limited in their ability to effectively generate representations of multimedia content. Conventional printers print onto a fixed medium, such as paper, and thus they are unable to effectively capture the elements of time-based media.
Yet, the capability to easily review time-based media content is commonly needed today. To search for desired features within time-based media content currently, one must actually review the content itself, skimming to find the desired information. For example, a user may have to manually skim an audio recording of a radio talk show to find content on a particular topic or to find discussions by a particular speaker. Due to these limitations in conventional printers, there is currently no easy way for users to search through a lengthy media segment to identify and extract particular features of interest from the media content. Additionally, there is no way for users to create an easily readable representation of media that provides useful information about the media.
Moreover, media content is commonly only available in digital form. However, for many users, a digital format is not the optimal format in which to view information. While viewing media information in digital form is adequate for some users, many users find it easier to comprehend and assimilate information when the information is printed on a paper medium. Nonetheless, there is not currently available a mechanism for generating a paper-based representation of time-based media through which the user can review or even access media content.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and methods for generating a representation of time-based media that can be paper-based and can provide users with the ability to extract defined features in the multimedia content.